Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
If the taxes they paid were sufficient you might have a point, but the fact that taxes are not covering costs and have to continue to increase indicates a structural failure of that policy, which is why they have a non-residency tax now.
And it's also not about losing tax dollars, because Canmore would have increased hotel accommodations which also pay taxes, and more local businesses instead of having them come in from Calgary providing zero.
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They've tried to raise taxes on people who are not there for "enough" days each year. This was the subject of a court challenge, and I'm not sure where it stands now, but it might not become law.
And I did laugh at the "providing zero" comment. They're tourists, and what they provide is a pile of money for the local economy. I have no idea how you think that town has boomed, but it's because of that windfall. All those restaurants, gift shops, and golf courses are there because of the tourism dollars. All those jobs and that local spending; those are tourist dollars.
You sound like you want an "eat your cake and have it too" scenario. Eliminate all the weekenders while keeping the same amount of money flowing, and everything will be awesome. The thing is, it doesn't work like that.